valued jewel of price, which, till secured to me, Ishould every moment be in fear of having snatched from my grasp. Anddoes Thaddeus, does your friend also believe in this religion?"
"Indeed, I trust he does, dearest," answered Selem. "But it is longsince I have spoken to him on the subject. Ah! here he comes to answerfor himself, I see him wandering through the grove, lost in meditation."
The growing darkness prevented the speaker from seeing the deep blushwhich this announcement called up on his sister's cheek. Thaddeusstarted with pleasure, as he beheld his friend approaching, and saw bywhom he was accompanied. "Here, my friend," said Selem to him, "I havebegun a task, in which I trust you will aid me (avoiding all theintricate and foolishly disputed points) by teaching our faith to mysister."
"Gladly I accept the office, and deeply interested I am in the successof my instruction," replied Thaddeus. "But, my friend, I have beenlonging to unbosom myself to you of a secret, lest you should accuse meof deceit or treachery."
Ina felt her heart beat quickly, from guessing the words which wouldfollow.
"Speak, Thaddeus, what is it you would say," said Selem, taking hissister's hand.
"Selem, my friend," replied Thaddeus, "to you I owe my life and all Inow possess; but, though deeply grateful, I would ask still more of you.I have your sister's leave to speak." Selem felt Ina's hand press his."From the first moment I saw her, I felt I would die rather than ceaseto love, or learn that she no longer loves me. Will you sanction andaid us in our hopes? or, if not, deliver me again into the hands of theRussians, from whom you rescued me."
"My friend! my brother! your words give me joy indeed," exclaimed Selem,"Believe me, that I will aid to the utmost the wishes of the two beingsmost dear to me on earth. But, remember, we have a father to consult;though he, I doubt not, will give his daughter to one, without whose aidhe would have lost her entirely."
"Oh, I know he will," cried Ina. "For he dearly loves me."
"Our father, Ina, is as good as he is brave; and it shall be my gratefulcharge to plead your cause with him. I will tell him, that my friend isof a noble and princely race, who were chiefs in their own countrybefore Russian swords overwhelmed them. As for wealth, we want it nothere. We have abundance for all."
Thus conversing, those three young beings sat beneath the trees of thesacred grove, till the rising moon warned them to return home.
In the fervid climes of the East, smiles and laughter succeed tears andgrief, as rapidly as sunshine follows the showers of spring. Life ismore full of excitement and danger; the pulse beats quicker; thepassions are more easily aroused, whether of sorrow or pleasure. Thereis, perhaps, more to enjoy in life; but it is held by even a more frailtenure than in the colder regions of the north.
On the following morning the inhabitants of the anderoon were in a stateof great agitation, while old Kahija bustled about to array Zara in herbridal vestments; for her betrothed was anxiously waiting her arrival athis father's house. The old nurse, with tears streaming from her eyes,was busily employed in enveloping her in a long white robe, fastened ather head; which, when drawn round, completely concealed her figure.
"My dear Ina," said the blushing girl, "Alp yesterday evening waspersuading me to leave you. He says that he must soon return to thathorrid warfare, and that his mother is anxiously waiting me at his home.He will be alarmed if I do not come; he used many other arguments, tillI consented at last, in spite of all my kind nurse's persuasions to thecontrary."
"It will make me sad to lose you, dear one; but it would be wrong todisappoint your brave Alp's mother," said Ina, smiling and kissing hercheek. "So you must yield to your fate: a dreadful one, indeed, tobecome the wife of so wild and handsome a youth as Alp!"
"I wonder when young Ali Bey will be here. Alp said that he would comeearly; but I dread that terrible gallop to his home."
"We will go to the gate and see if he is coming," said Ina. "Are youready, dear one?"
Zara signified that she was prepared for the worst that could happen; sothe two maidens sallied forth followed by old Kahija. They had not longto wait when the young bridegroom galloped up, attired in his bravestsuit, followed by a gay and gallant train. They reined in their steedsat a short distance; when, all dismounting, he alone respectfullyadvanced, and courteously saluted the two fair girls, drawing his swordas he knelt at Zara's feet, and swearing solemnly to protect her, forhis friend's sake, with his life. Then, after she had bestowed anaffectionate kiss on Ina and on old Kahija, he lifted her, with thetenderest care, before him on his steed, and galloped off towards thedomain of Hadji Guz Beg.
"Ah me! she is a sweet flower," sighed old Kahija; "I shall long mournher loss. But what makes me most sad is the thought of the interruptionto the marriage feast. It is a bad omen, and I like it not. Ah me! ahme! I never knew good come of such things. And so melancholy a funeralbut yesterday! And then the brave youths who were killed at the weddingfeast by the fierce Khan and his followers! Mark me, there is somethingmore dreadful coming still;" and she retired into the anderoon toindulge in a flood of tears.
Perhaps Ina might have followed her, had she not promised to meetThaddeus and her brother, about that time, and she trusted soon to enjoythe same happiness which she hoped would be Zara's lot.
Volume 3, Chapter XII.
The vast concourse, which we have described as assembled on the banks ofthe Ubin, had long since dispersed to their homes, disappointed athaving performed no great exploit, though they had made several daringattacks on the Russian troops, with severe loss on both sides.
The short, but rigorous, winter had now thrown its hoary mantle over thenorthern provinces of Abasia: the plains of the Kouban appeared one vastsheet of dazzling whiteness, here and there dotted, in the far distance,by the dark forts of the Russians. The trees, so lately covered withthe rich and varied leaves of autumn, now seemed like some fabled groveof silver, in a scene of enchantment, decked with strange and fantasticsplendour, crystallised by the frost. A deep and solemn silence reignedon the wooded heights which overlooked the plain. Not a bird was heardto sing in the groves. Here and there might be seen the footmarks ofsome beasts of prey, as they crossed the mountains to seek for food inthe marshes. The Kouban, whose waters in summer afforded the chiefdefence of the Russians against the well-provoked aggressions of themountaineers, had now become an even and clear sheet of ice, every day,gaining consistency and strength.
The invading army, suffering from the inclemency of the weather, hadretired into their winter quarters; and the Circassians, trusting alsoto the imprisonment of their enemies by the cold, had withdrawn thegreater number of their guards and scouts. They had determined not tobe the aggressors, but to endeavour to convince their enemies that theyfought only for liberty and peace. A general calm seemed to pervade thewhole country, which had so lately been startled by the fierce storm ofwar. The warriors enjoyed their short repose till the returning springshould again let loose the swarms of their now pent-up foes. Theypassed their time among their families, in tending their farms, or inthe invigorating sports of the chase.
Selem was enjoying some days of relaxation from the toils of war, at thehouse of his aged kinsman, in company with Thaddeus and his sister. Hewas delighted more and more with the unsophisticated, but quick andvaried powers of her pure mind, which every day was enlightened by theconversation of her lover. How delightful was the task to the youngPole, to instruct the fair creature he soon hoped to call his own!
Many of the inhabitants of the valley, indeed, wondered that two suchgallant and daring warriors as Selem and his friend had provedthemselves, could find pleasure in passing their time with a mere girl."Allah!" they exclaimed, "what odd customs they must have learned amongthe Giaours!"
They were interrupted from their studies by the entrance of the littleslave, Buda, announcing the arrival of the Hadji Guz Beg. Hastening tothe guest-room, they found the old warrior, clothed in complete warlikecostume, and attended by his son Alp, who
had torn himself from the armsof Zara, to accompany his father--
"Rouse up, my son," he cried. "Gird on your sword, and let your heartrejoice, for we have in hand work that may be worthy of us. Thosecursed Urus are not content with our remaining quiet, but they mustenter the country, and burn and destroy our villages. Mashallah! wewill repay them with a vengeance. I have messengers from many chiefs,who are assembling their followers, and now that the ice affords us abridge, which the enemy cannot easily destroy, we will make a foray intotheir territories, which will give them a lesson to respect ours."
"Wherever you lead, my friend, I am ready to follow," answered Selem.
"Mashallah! I doubted you not," cried the Hadji; "for see, we have